Our Jan 2008 Photos

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I did not have a chance to post all of these pictures back in January so I made a HUGE slideshow. :)

Hello??? Anyone there?

I am kind of bored. I have done three loads of laundry, attempted to create a Valentine's picture of the kids, organized the linen closet, organized the bathroom vanity in my bathroom, picked up, switched the January books and books on tape to the February ones, took M to school, turned in her summer and fall reg. a day early (oops), played with B, made M's bed, picked up the house, and read some chapters in The Purpose Driven Life. (yes, I know it is a daily thing but that does not work for me.) So while it is 11:30 am and I have accomplished all of that I am bored. I think I am craving adult conversation and I want to go dig in the earth. It is sunny and breezy outside, about 60 degrees so just cool enough for a jacket. I even called R to try to get him to ditch work and come home. Hmmmm....maybe I will go to Home Depot and get some flowers to put in my pots. We do need to do some yard work so I could also get some stones and things....

A Long Chat

I'm sure you all know the little poem that talks about people coming into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I am firm believer in that little saying. Tonight I got to talk to a friend who has moved to Texas. (Her daughter was our first babysitter and wonderful!!) Whenever we talk I alway come away feeling so touched. Tonight we talked about her way cool job, how her faith has gotten stronger, and things she would have done differently. She is such a Godly woman and I really listen and value her opinion. I think that God places people in our lives at the exact time we need them, although we may not even realize it. So to my TX friend, "Thank you! You are a total blessing to me!!"

Miss America 2008

First and foremost, congratulations Miss Michigan! I am proud to have her as our Miss America, although Miss CA and Miss IN were both up there too. Last night I decided to watch the Miss America show with Makena. After B went to bed, M and I painted our nails, in bright purple, let them dry, grabbed some snacks, made a little comfy spot on the floor and settled down to watch the show. We were having girls nite. Now, I have always been a HUGE fan of the Miss America pagent; I can remember watching it ever since I was a little girl. I have to admit that there have been times when I felt it was a little outdated so imagine my suprise when I discovered that they were revamping Miss America on TLC. (Miss America Reality Check) Yes, I faithfully DVR'd those shows and watched them. (By myself as Ryan would just make fun of me. He obviously did not watch the pagents as a child. :) )Well, I found that show to kind of be a joke. I was disappointed in the tasks that they did but figured that the real contest would be better. Well, it was! I liked they way the introuced themselves in the beginning but thought that the host was....hmmmm..well, he needed to learn to read and remember names better. Anyway, there is a point to this whole thing... So back to M and me watching it. We watched it for a bit and made it to the evening wear. The dresses were so pretty. M said, "Look, a wedding girl." That was the MA of 2007 in a white dress. Then M asked me the name of a contestent. I said,"Miss Georgia." M quietly stated,"Miss Curious Georgia." Then she said,"What is that one named?" I replied,"Miss Washington." M instantly whispered,"Miss Washing Machine-ton." I burst out laughing! I couldn't help it! She literally thought of those word associations instantly and said it so matter of fact! Once I started laughing she started being silly and just saying random things but those first two were hilarious. I had to put her to bed so I finished watching it myself. I thought all of the girls were just so poised and talented! Miss America will always be a favorite of mine.

Ryan came home one night after work and built a fort with Makena. She had so much fun playing in it that the next night he built it with her again. This time both M and B enjoyed it!

Pictures

Makena is just a hoot! She loves to dress up and is a total girl! I love it!

I'm 9 months!

Stats:
Name: Brody John Shepherd
Nicknames: Brodes, buppas, B, Brodybear
Number of teeth: 2 bottom with 2 top ones on their way
Likes: standing up holding on to things, being outside, mama, daddy, sissy, chewing on things, finger food, bathtime
Dislikes: almost anyone who i don't see regularly (total stranger anxiety)
Can be found: by mama
Babbles: dada, mama, nene (kind of a short a, e, and o mixture)
weight: ???
height:????

more pictures

pictures

B and M are playing in a tent on her bed. (yes, supervised by me) They were having a blast!

Our life

Decorating...not my strong suit. We are slowly changing the style of our house to reflect a more "Melanie" look. This process involves getting new curtains for our family room. Now, as you may know, it is soooooo hard to find the right curtains. I have searched and searched and searched and searched all over. I have purchased hundreds of dollars worth of curtains only to return them all b/c they do not look right. So yesterday, Ryan and I loaded up our cuties and headed to The Great Indoors. There we found the perfcect curtains! Yes, they are wonderful and just super; however, they cost and crazy amount that I am not willing to pay. So I am back to square one! Grrrrr...............My sister suggested I have find some fabric and have some made. I don't know! I have looked at Pier One, TArget, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, Cost Plus, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and even googled them online. I am not beginning to hate curtains and lamps... oh yes, we need to get lamps. AGain, found some I like but am not willing to pay a crazy amount. Am I just too frugal? No, not for a one income family. Anyway, I am not ranting and raving and need to go clean the bathroom before B wakes up. Have a great day! ( it is raining here and wonderful!!)

Garage sale

My friend Lisa had a garage sale last weekend and sold some of our things! I actually helped her on Friday but she did all of the selling on Saturday. It was so fun hanging out and watching the kids play together. Thanks Lisa for being a great seller! :)
In April Ryan and I are heading up the coast for five days to celebrate our five year anniversary. We are going to stop at some CA landmarks and go to Napa. We are both very excited! This garage sale money will be going toward our trip!

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Brody loves bananas so today I cut up a bunch of tiny pieces and placed them on his tray. I let him go and practice using his pincor (sp?) grip. He did great and had a blast! I think this will be the key to keeping him entertained at dinnertime!

Watch out!

Yesterday, I opened the pantry to get something and knocked over a jar of babyfood. It rolled off the shelf and shattered on the ground. Shards of glass were everywhere. It was a mess and took FOREVER to clean up. I had to wash my floor b/c I did not want any smig of glass left. Then, tonight after dinner, I went to get a dishcloth and shattered a huge glass casserole dish in the sink. Glass went everywhere again!!!!!!! This time I had to get the huge shop vac to suck it out of the disposal and it was just a mess. I also cut my finger and it wouldn't stop bleeding. Grrr.....I had to mop my floor again! Seriously, I am a hazzard to myself right now! :)

John and Linda's Trip Highlights

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California Dreamin'

On Wednesday we went to the beach for a few hours. It was simply gorgeous!!!! That is Makena in the corner!